Butcher by Reputation Ch1: On the Farm
by Jason Isaacs fangirl Rickmania
Summary: Benjamin Martin is confronted by a ghost of his past, and must make amends if he wants to keep his family together
1. Chapter 1

Butcher by Reputation

Chapter 1: On the Farm

On a fine, sunny afternoon, a few months after the war had ended, children played in the fields near Benjamin Martin's new home, as the slaves picked the cotton and harvested the crops. They weren't truly slaves; they claimed that their families worked the land by choice; and truth be told, the Martins did not approve of slave work. It was merely a requirement of the more wealthy households to have a slave, whether they wanted one or not.

Groups of children laughed among the workers, blowing around the freefalling puffs of cotton. One child, of about 7 years old, looked away from the group of children, into the distance. He had caught something moving out of the corner of his eye, and couldn't look away. He wanted to figure out what it was. Upon watching it move in the distance for a few more seconds, the realisation had hit him like a ton of bricks. He ran towards the Martin house, and Elsa; one of the workers; wondered what had gotten into him. She called out after him, but to no avail. The boy was frightened. It dawned on her what had him so scared, and she began to gather the children closer to her, much as a mother hen would when faced with a fox.

The boy ran up the stairs to the home, and ran inside, shouting, "Mr. Martin! Come quick! A rider is approaching from the north!"

Benjamin came to the boy's side, and knelt to his height, placing his hands on his shoulders. He spoke calmly, so he wouldn't frighten the young one, "Slow down, Isa, what is it?"

Isa calmed down, but only slightly, as he repeated, "A rider is approaching quickly from the north"

"Did you see him? What did he look like?"

Isa took a breath, and tried to remember what this rider was wearing. "Um…I could see a white shirt, and black riding pants…He was riding a brown…warhorse, I think"

The word, "warhorse" was all too familiar to Benjamin. Though the war may have been over, there was always another battle going on somewhere, where the colonists and the British that stayed after the war had disagreed. "You are certain it was a warhorse?" Benjamin needed the child to be as accurate as possible in delivering this information. If there was an armed British officer approaching, war or not, he had to be ready.

"Almost definite" Isa nodded.

Benjamin patted the young boy on the head, and said, "Stay inside the house" as he retreated downstairs to fetch his hatchet and a flintlock. He stood out on the front porch, surveying the area for this rider. Once he had spotted him, just over the hill, about a mile or so away, Benjamin crossed the cotton field, telling Elsa and the other workers to keep the children safe, and to watch for any more unfamiliar riders approaching. If any more were to approach, Elsa and the other women were to take the children inside and await Benjamin's return.

Benjamin was prepared to meet the rider shortly after the end of his cotton field, and readied himself. What he had not readied himself for was the face of the man approaching on horseback. He quickly retreated back to the women in the field, and said, "Take the children inside, now!" and ran back to the other side to face his intruder.

**A/N: Who was this intruder approaching on a warhorse? Let's have a few reviews before I tell you. **


	2. Chapter 2: The Ghost of His Past

Chapter 2: The Ghost of His Past

**A/N- Thank you, Guest, for your review! It gave me the motivation to continue my fic! Your question will soon be answered. Now, on with the suspense and thrill! **

As the rider approached Benjamin, he gave a smirk as he rode his horse nearly into him. Though Benjamin showed no fear, his expression wavered, wondering if the horse was going to stop, or plough through him, and storm onto his property. That familiar sneer sent a shiver down Benjamin's spine;

"Kill me before the war is over, will you?" The man laughed as he stared Benjamin down from atop his horse.

"You…," Benjamin said through gritted teeth, "should not be alive"

"Yet, here I am," Tavington smirked. When Benjamin gave a glare, William cocked a brow, mock-offended, asking, "Are you not going to welcome me into your…lovely home?"

"You have earned no welcome here" Benjamin stated, trying to keep his temper.

"No chance for redemption?" Tavington grinned, also in an attempt to keep his short temper from boiling over.

"Not for you" Benjamin said, matter-of-factly.

Tavington mentally fumed; _How dare this rebel not show humility after the war, and let me in?! _"You've had your chance to be the better man…" Tavington warned, tightening the reins in his hands.

"What, pray tell, is that supposed to mean?" Benjamin asked, keeping his hatchet at waist height.

"You shall find out eventually…," Tavington smiled as he turned his horse around, calling over his shoulder, "good day"

As he watched the ghost of his past ride off into the distance, Benjamin felt a mixture of confusion and worry. He already began to imagine what sort of ambush the Colonel had planned for him. He returned to the house, and sat in his new chair; finally, one that he'd built with his own two hands that stayed together. All of his failed rocking chairs had been used to fuel the fire that currently burned peacefully in their living room. The British Colonel's words stuck with him through the night, making him toss and turn in his sleep.

…

The next morning, Elsa had the children awake, and ready for the day, when Benjamin shuffled into the kitchen, tired from a restless evening. Elsa had noticed how weary her house-master appeared to be, and said, "Sir, let me fetch you some tea to help you wake up"

Benjamin nodded; ever grateful; and said, "Thank you, Elsa, that would be lovely"

Once his tea was finished, and the family had sat down together for breakfast, the sound of horses approaching caught the attention of Nathan; the, now oldest, son of Benjamin. He got up, and looked outside to see a handful of horses approaching from the north, much like Tavington had the day before. He ran to his father's chest, pulling out a bayonet, and ran back to the front of the house.

"Slow down, Nathan!" Benjamin said, swiftly removing the weapon from his son's hand. "Where were you going with this?"

"Redcoats!" Nathan gasped, pointing out into the distance.

Benjamin straightened his back, and sent his son back inside, saying, "Mind your brothers and sisters" He stood on the front porch, awaiting the small group of approaching Redcoats. It was odd that there was only a few of them; usually, they travelled in large groups. This group only had about four or five among them; the man leading them, of course, was Tavington. These weren't his usual Green Dragoons; they were perhaps, simply men hired as protection for his own good. They showed no signs that they held any rank with the British Army, other than the color of their coats. Benjamin stood fast, gathering all of the mental strength he could to face this man once again. "Colonel…" he nodded, in greeting.

"I shall spare you the pleasantries…," Tavington sneered, "Is your family inside?" he asked, gesturing towards the house.

Benjamin hesitated; another shiver running down his spine as he pondered the man's intentions. He nodded, "They are…what do you require from them?" Tavington merely gave a nod, and continued to ride to the house. Which sent Benjamin into a panic. "What are your intentions with them?" Benjamin asked, jogging alongside the horse.

Tavington halted his horse, and thus, his men stopped as well. "You shall know as soon as I think of them" He smiled, trotting his horse to the side of the house, not the front; as per the usual approach.

Benjamin shook his head, wondering why Tavington had gone to the side. There was no way to access the inside from there. The only thing on that specific side of the house was a water pump. He quickly realised why Tavington had gone that way; though he may have been a cruel man, his horse didn't know the difference. His horse still needed water, regardless of what side the man was on. Watching Tavington give his horse a drink made Benjamin realise that he was still human, and thus, still capable of being a pleasant one. Perhaps the man didn't have any cruel intentions today. However, that wasn't enough to make Benjamin forgive the many cruel acts that he had committed on several battlefields in the previous months. He watched for a moment as Tavington seemed to show kindness to the animal, taking scoops of water in his hands, letting the horse drink. For some reason, the horse seemed skittish, so it took a great deal of coaxing to get him to calm down before taking another drink. He clicked his tongue, almost…lovingly…to calm the animal back into submission.

Then, another realisation hit Benjamin; perhaps talking to Tavington while he was here wouldn't be too awful after all. He took a breath, and said, "Quite ...magnificent animals…horses"

Tavington looked over his shoulder to face Benjamin, and replied shortly, "Indeed". At the moment, he made it seem as though he had no wish to speak with the rebel that faced him.

Watching Tavington bend over to examine the horse's legs, Benjamin thought to himself, _Come on, horsey! Kick him in the face! _Then, thought better when he noticed Tavington splashing some water over the horse's back left leg. It had been injured; perhaps a strain in its leg from constant use. There was a reason Tavington had been to see him; he did not bear any ill will towards him yesterday. Thus, Tavington had assumed it safe to come back; he was the only Colonist that might show him kindness. Tavington, of course, was too proud to admit that. But Benjamin could certainly tell that from the way he was so comfortable to turn his back on his enemy. He hesitantly placed a hand on the man's shoulder, wondering if it was a good idea or not. Tavington gave a flinch, questioningly looking to Benjamin's hand. "The horse needs to rest" Benjamin said, giving a small smile. Perhaps, showing kindness to the man would in turn, grant him that same kindness.

Tavington glanced beyond the fields to the east, and gave Benjamin a slight nod, as if to accept his offer. "Very well"

Benjamin led Tavington and the horse to his family's stable. "A day or so in the care of my…staff…and he should be up and running again"

"A day?" Tavington blinked. _I have to stay here the entire day?! _

"Just enough time to ensure the horse a proper rest." Benjamin stated.

Tavington seemed hesitant. Could he really stay with his enemy for that long of a time and not rip out his throat in front of his family? He cleared his throat and walked back to his men, sending them over to his previous point of interest; the eastern fields. Benjamin watched as Tavington sauntered back to him, and stood, unsure of what to do with himself. After a brief moment of awkward silence, William spoke up; "A rather…lovely portion of land, you have, here", admiring the landscape.

"Thank you, Colonel…," Benjamin nodded, "Your word means a lot to the reflection of my work" Were they really getting along? My word!

William seemed shocked, "This is all your work?"

Benjamin grinned, "Some of it is me…the rest, I leave to Mother Nature…and the workers that harvest it for me" William gave a nod of approval, and Benjamin felt the need to ask, "…Where did your men go?"

William paused a moment, speechless, and stammered, "Uh…admiring the cotton fields, no doubt" with a short laugh. His two riders soon trotted back, and he smiled, "See? There they are" as he approached them on foot.

Benjamin didn't hear their conversation, but he noticed more Redcoats riding away from his plantation. _Where had they come from? Was that…no…it couldn't possibly be…Cornwallis and O'Hara at the top of the field?! _He shook the thought away, and took Tavington by the shoulder once more, "Shall we…take a walk around the property?" He was about to invite the man inside, but immediately changed his mind, thinking it best not to allow the man famously known as The Butcher into his home. At least, not right away. He needed to give his family some time to get ready.

**A/N: Would Benjamin allow the Bloody Butcher into his home? Let's have some more awesome reviews to find out what happens next. **


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